Building a supportive framework for brain research in Ireland: Inaugural position paper of the Irish Brain Council.

Abstract

The Irish Brain Council is an independent group of organisations which have come together to influence and impact upon brain research in Ireland. The purpose of the Irish Brain Council is to promote and advocate for brain research in Ireland. It aims to harness the expertise and experience of its membership to provide a platform for public outreach, legislative engagement and strategic partnership to foster a supportive environment for brain research that ensures Ireland's competitiveness in this area going forward and enables the attraction, retention and development of research initiatives in the understanding and treatment of brain conditions. This first inaugural position paper by the Irish Brain Council aims to outline the challenges and opportunities for brain research in this country and call for a supportive infrastructure to attract future investment, retain highly qualified personnel and ensure that research findings are effectively translated into better outcomes for people with brain conditions. Brain research was the initial focus of the European Brain Council (EBC) when it was launched 15 years ago; since then, however, the EBC has expanded into many other areas such as prevention, education, the patient's journey etc. The EBC has therefore recently adopted an alternative term ‘brain health’ in place of ‘brain research’, which is more holistic and more representative of their broader remit. For the remainder of this paper, we will use the term ‘brain health and research’ to mirror the aims of the EBC in the goals of the Irish Brain Council.